U.S. patent application number 17/484021 was filed with the patent office on 2022-03-31 for ultrawide bandwidth, low-cost, roof-top mountable, low-profile, monocone antenna for vehicle-to-everything (v2x) communication.
The applicant listed for this patent is THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA. Invention is credited to Nathan Seongheon Jeong, Wooseop Lee.
Application Number | 20220102833 17/484021 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-03-31 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20220102833 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jeong; Nathan Seongheon ; et
al. |
March 31, 2022 |
ULTRAWIDE BANDWIDTH, LOW-COST, ROOF-TOP MOUNTABLE, LOW-PROFILE,
MONOCONE ANTENNA FOR VEHICLE-TO-EVERYTHING (V2X) COMMUNICATION
Abstract
A monocone antenna is described for V2X wireless communications.
To achieve ultrawide bandwidth, low-profile, omnidirectional
radiation, an implementation comprises various components including
a circular monocone, a capacitive feed, a ring with grounding vias,
capacitive bars, and conductive cylinders. Another implementation
comprises a monocone, a capacitive feed, a ground ring with
grounding vias, a plurality of first meander lines, each having a
first size, and a plurality of second meander lines each having a
second size, wherein the second size is larger than the first
size.
Inventors: |
Jeong; Nathan Seongheon;
(Tuscaloosa, AL) ; Lee; Wooseop; (Montgomery,
AL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA |
Tuscaloosa |
AL |
US |
|
|
Appl. No.: |
17/484021 |
Filed: |
September 24, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
63085499 |
Sep 30, 2020 |
|
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International
Class: |
H01Q 1/22 20060101
H01Q001/22; H01Q 1/32 20060101 H01Q001/32; H01Q 5/50 20060101
H01Q005/50; H01Q 5/328 20060101 H01Q005/328 |
Claims
1. An antenna comprising: a monocone; a capacitive feed; a ground
ring with a plurality of grounding vias; a plurality of capacitive
bars; and a plurality of conductive cylinders.
2. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the ground ring is a planar
ring, the capacitive bars are conductive strips, and the conductive
cylinders are cylindrical disks.
3. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the monocone is tapered and has
a top hat that is covered.
4. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the ground ring is physically
separated from the monocone.
5. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the capacitive feed is
positioned at the bottom of the monocone.
6. The antenna of claim 1, further comprising a planar top disposed
on the monocone, wherein the conductive cylinders and the
capacitive bars are positioned on the planar top, and wherein the
capacitive bars are distributed over the planar top.
7. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the conductive cylinders are
positioned between the capacitive bars.
8. The antenna of claim 1, further comprising four capacitive bars
and wherein the ground ring is open-circuited or is
short-circuited.
9. The antenna of claim 1, further comprising eight capacitive bars
and wherein the ground ring is open-circuited or is
short-circuited.
10. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the antenna is 3D printed and
sprayed with metal particles.
11. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the antenna is configured to
achieve ultrawide bandwidth, low-profile, omnidirectional
radiation.
12. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the antenna is configured to
support ultrawide bandwidth of 0.7 GHz to 6 GHz.
13. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the antenna is configured to
allow GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE, GPS, WiFi, BT, DSRC, and C-V2X.
14. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the antenna is for V2X
(vehicle-to-everything) wireless communication.
15. An antenna comprising: a monocone; a capacitive feed; a ground
ring with a plurality of grounding vias; a plurality of first
meander lines, each having a first size; and a plurality of second
meander lines, each having a second size, wherein the second size
is larger than the first size.
16. The antenna of claim 15, wherein the ground ring is a planar
ring, and each of the first meander lines is located on a first
degree from a reference line, and each of the second meander lines
is located on a second degree from the reference line, wherein the
second degree is different from the first degree.
17. The antenna of claim 15, wherein the first meander lines are
vertically positioned from the ground ring to the ground plane, and
wherein the second meander lines are vertically positioned from the
ground ring to the ground plane.
18. The antenna of claim 15, wherein the monocone is tapered and
has a top hat that is covered, wherein the capacitive feed is
positioned at the bottom of the monocone, and further comprising a
planar top disposed on the monocone.
19. The antenna of claim 15, wherein the antenna is configured to
support ultrawide bandwidth of 750 MHz to 7.45 GHz.
20. The antenna of claim 15, wherein the antenna is configured to
allow GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE, GPS, WiFi, BT, DSRC, and C-V2X, and is
for V2X (vehicle-to-everything) wireless communication.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 63/085,499, filed on Sep. 30,
2020, entitled "ULTRAWIDE BANDWIDTH, LOW-COST, ROOF-TOP MOUNTABLE,
LOW-PROFILE, MONOCONE ANTENNA FOR VEHICLE-TO-EVERYTHING (V2X)
COMMUNICATION," the contents of which are hereby incorporated by
reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] To prevent car accidents and increase road safety, the
technology of V2X (vehicle-to-everything) wireless communication
has been heavily developed in two main areas of DSRC (dedicated
short range communication) and cellular-V2X. V2X can be categorized
with four components: V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle), V2I
(vehicle-to-infrastructure), V2N (vehicle-to-network), and V2P
(vehicle-to-pedestrian).
[0003] Current vehicles in the market (such as cars, unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as drones, IoT devices, ships,
airplanes, helicopters, etc.) use various discrete modular antenna
elements to support different frequency bands for each
communication band. Therefore, it is critical to reduce the number
of antennas on vehicles while covering the various frequency
bands.
[0004] It is with respect to these and other considerations that
the various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure are
presented.
SUMMARY
[0005] A monocone antenna is described for V2X wireless
communications. To achieve ultrawide bandwidth, low-profile,
omnidirectional radiation, an implementation of the antenna
comprises various components including a circular monocone, a
capacitive feed, a ring with grounding vias, capacitive bars, and
conductive cylinders. The antenna is modeled with electromagnetic
simulator and validated with measurement. The results show that the
antenna supports ultrawide bandwidth of 0.7 GHz to 6 GHz mounted on
a large ground plane, allowing GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE, GPS, WiFi, BT,
DSRC, and C-V2X.
[0006] An implementation of the antenna is 3D printed with low-cost
material and sprayed with copper particles for rapid and
cost-effective production. It is contemplated that other metal
particles including silver, gold, and aluminum can be used too
depending on the implementation. The diameter of the antenna is 148
mm and height is 25 mm. More than 87% of efficiency is measured
above 1.7 GHz to 6 GHz, while 43% of efficiency is observed at 0.7
GHz in an anechoic chamber. Omnidirectional patterns on both
azimuth and elevation principle planes are observed with more than
0.5 dBi of the realized gain over the frequency band of interest to
support V2X communication.
[0007] Implementations of the antenna described herein
distinctively use parasitic elements and capacitive feed with
monocone to maximize its radiation over broad bandwidth.
[0008] Implementations of the monocone antenna described herein
support all frequency bands including 2G, 3G, 4G, sub-6 GHz 5G,
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, DSRC, and C-V2X.
[0009] In an implementation, an antenna comprises: a monocone; a
capacitive feed; a ground ring with a plurality of grounding vias;
a plurality of capacitive bars; and a plurality of conductive
cylinders.
[0010] Implementations may include some or all of the following
features. The ground ring is a planar ring, the capacitive bars are
conductive strips, and the conductive cylinders are cylindrical
disks. The monocone is tapered and has a top hat that is covered.
The ground ring is physically separated from the monocone. The
capacitive feed is positioned at the bottom of the monocone. The
antenna further comprises a planar top disposed on the monocone,
wherein the conductive cylinders and the capacitive bars are
positioned on the planar top, and wherein the capacitive bars are
distributed over the planar top. The conductive cylinders are
positioned between the capacitive bars. The antenna comprises four
capacitive bars and wherein the ground ring is open-circuited or is
short-circuited. The antenna comprises eight capacitive bars and
wherein the ground ring is open-circuited or is short-circuited.
The antenna is 3D printed and sprayed with metal particles. The
antenna is configured to achieve ultrawide bandwidth, low-profile,
omnidirectional radiation. The antenna is configured to support
ultrawide bandwidth of 0.7 GHz to 6 GHz. The antenna is configured
to allow GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE, GPS, WiFi, BT, DSRC, and C-V2X. The
antenna is for V2X (vehicle-to-everything) wireless
communication.
[0011] In an implementation, an antenna comprises: a monocone; a
capacitive feed; a ground ring with a plurality of grounding vias;
a plurality of first meander lines, each having a first size; and a
plurality of second meander lines, each having a second size,
wherein the second size is larger than the first size.
[0012] Implementations may include some or all of the following
features. The ground ring is a planar ring, and each of the first
meander lines is located on a first degree from a reference line,
and each of the second meander lines is located on a second degree
from the reference line, wherein the second degree is different
from the first degree. The first meander lines are vertically
positioned from the ground ring to the ground plane, and wherein
the second meander lines are vertically positioned from the ground
ring to the ground plane. The monocone is tapered and has a top hat
that is covered, wherein the capacitive feed is positioned at the
bottom of the monocone, and further comprising a planar top
disposed on the monocone. The antenna is configured to support
ultrawide bandwidth of 750 MHz to 7.45 GHz. The antenna is
configured to allow GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE, GPS, WiFi, BT, DSRC, and
C-V2X. The antenna is for V2X (vehicle-to-everything) wireless
communication. Grounding posts are vertically positioned near the
capacitive feed.
[0013] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed
subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed
description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when
read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of
illustrating the embodiments, there is shown in the drawings
example constructions of the embodiments; however, the embodiments
are not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities
disclosed. In the drawings:
[0015] FIGS. 1A and 1B are illustrations of an implementation of an
antenna with components in top view and side view,
respectively;
[0016] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an implementation of an antenna
in teardown view with key components;
[0017] FIGS. 3A and 3B are illustrations directed to the feature of
a capacitively fed monocone in top view and side view,
respectively;
[0018] FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D are illustrations directed to the
feature of a conductive strip in perspective view, top view, and
side views, respectively;
[0019] FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are illustrations directed to the
feature of a cylindrical conductor on the planar top in perspective
view, top view, and side view, respectively;
[0020] FIG. 6 is an illustration directed to the feature of a ring
with grounding vias;
[0021] FIGS. 7A and 7B are illustrations directed to the feature of
size being ultra-compact for multi-band operation in side view and
top view, respectively;
[0022] FIG. 8 is an illustration of an implementation of a
prototype antenna;
[0023] FIGS. 9A and 9B are illustrations of an implementation of an
antenna with an open-circuited ground ring with four capacitive
bars and eight capacitive bars, respectively;
[0024] FIGS. 10A and 10B are illustrations of an implementation of
an antenna with a short-circuited ground ring with four capacitive
bars and eight capacitive bars, respectively;
[0025] FIGS. 11A and 11B are illustrations of an implementation of
an antenna in top view and side view, respectively;
[0026] FIG. 12 is an illustration of an implementation of an
antenna showing a capacitive feed;
[0027] FIGS. 13A and 13B are illustrations of an implementation of
an antenna with capacitive grounding posts in top view and side
view, respectively;
[0028] FIG. 14A is an illustration an implementation of an antenna
in top view;
[0029] FIG. 14B is an illustration of a short meander line of the
antenna of FIG. 14A;
[0030] FIG. 15A is an illustration an implementation of an antenna
in top view;
[0031] FIG. 15B is an illustration of a long meander line of the
antenna of FIG. 15A;
[0032] FIGS. 16A and 16B are illustration of an implementation of a
prototype antenna in top view and perspective view, respectively;
and
[0033] FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C show illustrations of an
implementation of an antenna mounted on a vehicle in side view, top
view, and perspective view, respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but
is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general
principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is
best defined by the appended claims.
[0035] Various inventive features are described herein that can
each be used independently of one another or in combination with
other features.
[0036] Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) includes vehicle-to-pedestrian
(V2P), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-network (V2N),
and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), and intelligently connects the car to
the cloud and its surroundings. V2X communication is essential for
safety and road awareness. V2X is composed of V2V, V2I, V2V, and
V2P and can be used for both current non autonomous and future
autonomous driving. V2X includes both DSRC (dedicated short range
communication) and cellular-V2X (C-V2X).
[0037] A monocone antenna described herein shows ultrawide
bandwidth covering 0.7 to 6 GHz for V2X application. It shows
characteristics of being low-profile, light, low-cost, and vehicle
roof-mountable. The simulated and measured reflection coefficient,
radiation pattern, efficiency and gain indicate that the radiation
performance of the proposed antenna is suitable for vehicle
communication. Implementations described herein provide ultrawide
bandwidth low profile, low cost, roof top mountable, lightweight,
and single element monocone antenna that support all frequency
bands including 2G, 3G, 4G, sub-6 GHz, 5G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS,
DSRC, and C-V2X supporting from 0.7 GHz to 6 GHz. Although
implementations of the antenna are described herein with respect to
a vehicle such as a car, it is contemplated that the antenna can be
used with (e.g., applied to) an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) such
as drone, an IoT device, a ship, an airplane, a helicopter, etc.
and anywhere a big ground plane is present under the antenna. In
some implementations, the antenna utilizes the ground plane as a
part of the radiator.
[0038] Implementations described herein distinctively use parasitic
elements and capacitive feed with monocone to maximize its
radiation over broad bandwidth.
[0039] Key components include a capacitive bar, a circular
conductor, a planar top, a monocone, a ground ring, a capacitive
feed, and vias.
[0040] FIGS. 1A and 1B are illustrations of an implementation of an
antenna 100 with components in top view and side view,
respectively.
[0041] The antenna 100 comprises a monocone 105, a capacitive feed
140, a ground ring (also referred to as a planar ring) 110 with
grounding vias 120, capacitive bars (also referred to as conductive
strips) 125, and conductive cylinders (also referred to as
cylindrical disks) 135.
[0042] The tapered monocone 105 provides broad bandwidth by setting
its height (Mn) and half cone angles (Ma). Unlike other monocones
made with a solid metal, the top hat is covered while the center of
the monocone 105 is kept hollow.
[0043] In an implementation, the longest length from the bottom tip
to the open-end edge of the monocone 105 is only 52 mm which is
equivalent to 0.12.lamda. where .lamda. is a wavelength of the
lowest frequency in the air. This length primarily determines the
lowest resonant frequency. These dimensions and values are not
intended to be limiting, and any dimensions and values may be used
depending on the implementation.
[0044] The capacitive feed 140 is incorporated to allow broad
impedance matching over the frequency band of interest. A tapered
V-shape capacitive feed 140 is designed and positioned at the
bottom of the monocone 105.
[0045] In an implementation, the height and upper radius of the
capacitive feed 140 are defined as 2.2 mm and 14.8 mm,
respectively. The gap (Gap) between the monocone 105 and the
capacitive feed 140 may be filled with a thin-film dielectric with
permittivity ( .sub.r) of 3.6 and loss tangent (tan .delta.) of
0.002. These dimensions and values are not intended to be limiting,
and any dimensions and values may be used depending on the
implementation.
[0046] The ground ring 110 is placed beside the open-ended edge of
the monocone 105 with a small spacing (S) and is grounded through
four cylindrical vias 120. The spacing S between the monocone 105
and the ring 110 controls the amount of capacitive coupling along
the perimeter of the monocone 105. The inner and outer radii of the
ring 110 are denoted as R.sub.2 and R.sub.1, respectively. The
location of the grounding via 120 is defined by radius from the
center of the monocone (V.sub.r), while the via 120 diameter is
indicated as V.sub.d. In addition, the upper side angle
(.theta..sub.1) and lower side angle (.theta..sub.2) are defined
from the horizontal center line.
[0047] The open-ended capacitive bars 125 and the cylindrical disks
135 are added on top of the monocone 105 to provide additional
impedance matching capability. The width and length of each
capacitive bar 125 are defined by its width (B.sub.w) and
(B.sub.l), respectively. The diameter of each cylindrical disk 135
(C) is denoted as C.sub.d.
[0048] In an implementation, a 1 mm-thick FR4 with .sub.r=4.4 and
tan .delta.=0.02 is used as the ground plane 130. A 50.OMEGA. SMA
connector 150 is modeled to precisely represent the measurement
condition. These dimensions and values are not intended to be
limiting, and any dimensions and values may be used depending on
the implementation. The center and outer conductors of the SMA
connector 150 are physically touched to the capacitive feed 140 and
ground plane 130, respectively.
[0049] In an implementation, optimized design parameters are shown
in Table 1. The overall height and diameter of the antenna 100 in
the implementation are 25 mm and 148 mm, respectively. These
dimensions and values are not intended to be limiting, and any
dimensions and values may be used depending on the
implementation.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Example parameter values according to an
implementation Parameter Values M.sub.h 25 mm M.sub.a 20.degree.
R.sub.1 74 mm R.sub.2 50 mm R.sub.3 41.35 mm C.sub.1 20 mm Gap 3 mm
V.sub.h 23 mm V.sub.r 70 mm V.sub.d 3 mm V.sub.w 3 mm Gap 100 .mu.m
B.sub.w 2.5 mm B.sub.l 46 mm C.sub.d 20 mm R.sub.t 2 mm
[0050] In some implementations, 3D-printing and Cu-spraying are
used in the fabrication of the antenna 100.
[0051] In some implementations, the components of the antenna 100
are made of low-cost and rigid polylactic acid plastic (PLA)
material. A 3D printer (e.g., Dramel 3D45) may be used to precisely
fabricate the antenna 100 geometry. To make lightweight, cost
effective, and electrically conductive, MG Chemical's Super Shield
copper conductive particles (843AR-140G) may be utilized for
metallization, and sprayed to the components followed by drying for
40 minutes without any directly blown air to the antenna itself at
a room temperature. The conductive spray coated only once to cover
all PLA material of the antenna 100. The conductivity of the copper
particle is 3300 S/cm which is almost 200 times less conductive
relative to the industrial copper cladding. For further cost and
weight reduction, the center of the monocone 105 is set to be
hollow with the 3D printing. Electrical connection of the vias 120
to the ground plane 130 is also realized with the same spraying
method. Note that the traditional method of soldering lead is not
suitable for component connections because the melting temperature
point of the base plastic materials is 130-180 degrees and lower
than soldering temperature. This straightforward metallization is
desirable to rapid mass production and cost reduction. To maintain
uniform gap between the monocone 105 and the capacitive feed 140, a
100 .mu.m-thick Kapton tape is inserted between them. These
dimensions and values are not intended to be limiting, and any
dimensions and values may be used depending on the
implementation.
[0052] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an implementation of the
antenna in teardown view with key components described with respect
to FIGS. 1A and 1B, including the capacitive bars 125, the
conductive cylinders 135, the monocone 105, the ground ring 110,
the capacitive feed 140, and the vias 120. Also shown is a planar
top 230 which is disposed on the monocone 105 and on which the
conductive cylinders 135 and the capacitive bars 125 may be
positioned. It is noted that the parts can be 3D printed. Copper
conductive particles may be utilized for metallization.
[0053] FIGS. 3A and 3B are illustrations directed to the feature of
a capacitively fed monocone in top view and side view,
respectively. The capacitive feed 140 is shown in top view and in
side view in FIGS. 3A and 3B, respectively.
[0054] The exciting radio energy is coupled through the tapered
V-shape capacitive feed 140 at the bottom of the monocone 105. This
feeding method significantly improves the input impedance over all
frequency bands.
[0055] In an implementation, the distance between the monocone and
the V shape feed is maintained at 0.16 mm using a layer of a kapton
tape, although other distances and materials may be used depending
on the implementation.
[0056] FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D are illustrations directed to the
feature of a conductive strip (i.e., capacitive bar) 125 disposed
on a planar top 230 in perspective view, top view, and side views,
respectively. A perspective view 402 is shown along with a top view
405. The eight conductive strips 125 create capacitive coupling
between the planar top 230 and the conductive strips 125. The
conductive strips 125 are uniformly distributed over the planar top
230. For example, 45 degrees of angle apart from each other,
although other values may be used depending on the implementation.
Only the end of conductive strips 125 are connected on the monocone
105.
[0057] FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are illustrations directed to the
feature of a cylindrical conductor (e.g., cylindrical disk) 135 on
the planar top 230 in perspective view, top view, and side view,
respectively. The cylindrical conductor disks 135 increase and
adjust capacitance between conductive strips 125, providing
critical impedance matching of the antenna 100. The disks 135 are
attached to the planar top 230. The disk size controls matching.
Each disk 135 is positioned between the conductive strips 125.
[0058] FIG. 6 is an illustration directed to the feature of a ring
110 with grounding vias 120. The lowest resonant frequency (0.7
GHz) is primarily provided by help with the ring 110 and the
grounding vias 120. The gap between the open-ended monocone 105 and
the ring 110, the number of vias 120, and side angles of the vias
120 affect the low, middle, and high frequencies.
[0059] FIGS. 7A and 7B are illustrations directed to the feature of
size of the antenna 100 being ultra-compact for multi-band
operation in side view and top view, respectively. In an
implementation, the dimension of the antenna 100 is
148.times.148.times.25 mm.sup.3 which is much smaller to be mounted
on the vehicle roof than the current commercial roof top antenna
which supports several frequency bands only. This is the smallest
antenna in size to cover the entire communication bands. These
dimensions and values are not intended to be limiting, and any
dimensions and values may be used depending on the
implementation.
[0060] FIG. 8 is an illustration of an implementation of a
prototype antenna 100. The fabricated prototype includes a ring
810, capacitive bars 815, grounding vias 820, cylindrical disks
825, a ground plane 830, and a monocone 840. High gain and
efficiency were measured.
[0061] FIGS. 9A and 9B are illustrations of an implementation of an
antenna with an open-circuited ground ring with four capacitive
bars and eight capacitive bars, respectively. A capacitive bar
extends to the ground ring and creates capacitive coupling between
the bar and the ground ring. In FIG. 9A, there are four capacitive
bars extended and the ground ring is open-circuited. The ring is
thus divided into four individual sections. In FIG. 9B, there are
eight capacitive bars extended and the ground ring is
open-circuited except where two upper vias are located.
[0062] FIGS. 10A and 10B are illustrations of an implementation of
an antenna with a short-circuited ground ring with four capacitive
bars and eight capacitive bars, respectively. A capacitive bar
extends to the ground ring and creates capacitive coupling between
the bar and the capacitive bars. In FIG. 10A, there are four
capacitive bars extended while the ground ring is short-circuited.
In FIG. 10B, there are eight capacitive bars extended while the
ground ring is short-circuited.
[0063] As described further herein, some implementations of a
monocone antenna are contemplated to have neither capacitive bars
nor conductive cylinders. Such implementations include features
such as low profile design, capacitive feeding, grounding post near
capacitive feed, one or more short meander lines, and/or one or
more long meander lines. The short meander lines may be a first
plurality of meander lines, and the long meander lines may be a
second plurality of meander lines, in some implementations.
[0064] FIGS. 11A and 11B are illustrations of another
implementation of an antenna 1100 in top view and side view,
respectively. The monocone antenna 1100 has no need of capacitive
bars and conductive cylinders. There are six meander lines to
support better resonance and broadband impedance matching. There
are four short meander line 1120 vias located on 35 degree from a
reference line 1105, and two long meander line 1110 vias located 90
degrees from the reference line 1105. In this example, the diameter
is 148 mm, and the height is 26.695 mm. R.sub.1=74 mm, R.sub.2=55
mm, .theta..sub.1=35 degrees, .theta..sub.2=90 degrees, V.sub.T=2
mm.
[0065] FIG. 12 is an illustration of an implementation of an
antenna, such as the antenna 1100, showing a capacitive feed 1200.
The capacitive feed is use for antenna excitation. There is no
direct physical connection and effective low-frequency broadband
characteristic. SMA connector and coax line are designed and
simulated to emulate correct result. The outer part of SMA is
attached to the top of substrate, serving an electrical ground.
[0066] FIGS. 13A and 13B are illustrations of an implementation of
an antenna 1100 with capacitive grounding posts 1300 in top view
and side view, respectively. Four capacitive grounding posts 1300
are provided for better impedance matching on near 700 MHz region.
In an example, the diameter of each grounding post 1300 is 1 mm.
R.sub.C1=5.4 mm, R.sub.C2=2.01 mm, P.sub.P1=2.2 mm, P.sub.1=1 mm,
and S.sub.1=1.5 mm.
[0067] Another feature is a short meander line. FIG. 14A is an
illustration an implementation of an antenna 1100 in top view, and
FIG. 14B is an illustration of a short meander line 1120 of the
antenna of FIG. 14A. The short meander line 1120 applies impedance
matching at the 700 MHz region. It applies a frequency shift at the
3.5 GHz region. Four short meander line 1120 vias are located 35
degrees from the reference line 1105, in an implementation.
[0068] With respect to FIG. 14B, V.sub.TS=2 mm, V.sub.m1=6 mm,
V.sub.m2=4.8475 mm, V.sub.m3=4.9725 mm, V.sub.m4=13.55 mm,
V.sub.m5=10.44 mm, and V.sub.m6=2.695 mm.
[0069] Another feature is a long meander line. FIG. 15A is an
illustration an implementation of an antenna 1100 in top view, and
FIG. 15B is an illustration of a long meander line 1110 of the
antenna 1100 of FIG. 15A. The long meander line 1110 provides
impedance matching at the 700 MHz region with frequency shift at
the 3.5 GHz region. Two long meander line 1110 vias are located 90
degrees from the reference line 1105, in an implementation.
[0070] With respect to FIG. 15B, V.sub.TS=2 mm, V.sub.I1=3 mm,
V.sub.I2=4 mm, V.sub.I3=3.695 mm, and V.sub.I4=25.4 mm.
[0071] The monocone antenna 1100 supports broadband frequency of
750 MHz-7.45 GHz. Additionally, the monocone antenna 1100 supports
multiple applications, such as 5G, LTE, WiFi, GPS, DSRC/C-V2X.
[0072] The capacitive feed gap between the main monocone and
capacitive dish may be optimized for best performance. In some
implementations, the gap may be 0.06 mm, which provides improved
performance near the 700 MHz region and mid 3.5 GHz region as
compared to 0.1 mm of gap.
[0073] In an implementation, the gap of the grounding ring may be
2.6 mm.
[0074] Capacitive grounding posts may be used to optimize and
improve performance in the 1.3-7.5 GHz region. The posts are
effective on overall performance of the antenna.
[0075] Both short and long meander lines are used for optimization
of frequency region of 0.7-2.5 GHz and 3-4 GHz.
[0076] FIGS. 16A and 16B are illustration of an implementation of a
prototype antenna 1100 in top view and perspective view,
respectively. In an implementation, a monocone antenna may be
fabricated with a 3D printer and conductive spray, such as PLA and
resin material and MG Chemical 843AR Super Shield. The main cone
may be printed with PLA material, in some implementations. The
grounding ring and capacitive feed may be printed with resin
material for precise and rigid structural support, in some
implementations. Meander lines 1110, 1120 may be soldered with
conductive spray without heat soldering process.
[0077] FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C show illustrations of an
implementation of an antenna mounted on a vehicle in side view, top
view, and perspective view, respectively.
[0078] The antenna 1710 is mounted on the roof 1730 of the vehicle
1700. In some implementations, the antenna 1710 may be enclosed in
a radome 1720.
[0079] Although implementations of the antenna are described herein
with respect to a vehicle such as a car, this is not intended to be
limiting as the antenna can be used with (e.g., applied to) many
other vehicles, device, and systems (e.g., an unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) such as drone, an IoT device, a ship, an airplane, a
helicopter, etc. and anywhere a big ground plane is present under
the antenna). In some implementations, the antenna utilizes the
ground plane as a part of the radiator.
[0080] Advantages include: (1) compact size for vehicular
applications, (2) ultrawide band coverage by single antenna, (3)
easy to fabricate through 3D printing, (4) low cost, (5)
lightweight, (6) no need for matching circuit for antenna, and (7)
directly surface mountable on a vehicle.
[0081] The antenna described herein is directly applicable to any
vehicles for V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle), V2I
(vehicle-to-infrastructure), V2N (vehicle-to-network), and V2P
(vehicle-to-pedestrian) communication for road safety and
awareness.
[0082] In an implementation, an antenna comprises: a monocone; a
capacitive feed; a ground ring with a plurality of grounding vias;
a plurality of capacitive bars; and a plurality of conductive
cylinders.
[0083] Implementations may include some or all of the following
features. The ground ring is a planar ring, the capacitive bars are
conductive strips, and the conductive cylinders are cylindrical
disks. The monocone is tapered and has a top hat that is covered.
The ground ring is physically separated from the monocone. The
capacitive feed is positioned at the bottom of the monocone. The
antenna further comprises a planar top disposed on the monocone,
wherein the conductive cylinders and the capacitive bars are
positioned on the planar top, and wherein the capacitive bars are
distributed over the planar top. The conductive cylinders are
positioned between the capacitive bars. The antenna comprises four
capacitive bars and wherein the ground ring is open-circuited or is
short-circuited. The antenna comprises eight capacitive bars and
wherein the ground ring is open-circuited or is short-circuited.
The antenna is 3D printed and sprayed with metal particles. The
antenna is configured to achieve ultrawide bandwidth, low-profile,
omnidirectional radiation. The antenna is configured to support
ultrawide bandwidth of 0.7 GHz to 6 GHz. The antenna is configured
to allow GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE, GPS, WiFi, BT, DSRC, and C-V2X. The
antenna is for V2X (vehicle-to-everything) wireless
communication.
[0084] In an implementation, an antenna comprises: a monocone; a
capacitive feed; a ground ring with a plurality of grounding vias;
a plurality of first meander lines, each having a first size; and a
plurality of second meander lines, each having a second size,
wherein the second size is larger than the first size.
[0085] Implementations may include some or all of the following
features. The ground ring is a planar ring, and each of the first
meander lines is located on a first degree from a reference line,
and each of the second meander lines is located on a second degree
from the reference line, wherein the second degree is different
from the first degree. The first meander lines are vertically
positioned from the ground ring to the ground plane, and wherein
the second meander lines are vertically positioned from the ground
ring to the ground plane. The monocone is tapered and has a top hat
that is covered, wherein the capacitive feed is positioned at the
bottom of the monocone, and further comprising a planar top
disposed on the monocone. The antenna is configured to support
ultrawide bandwidth of 750 MHz to 7.45 GHz. The antenna is
configured to allow GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE, GPS, WiFi, BT, DSRC, and
C-V2X. The antenna is for V2X (vehicle-to-everything) wireless
communication. Grounding posts are vertically positioned near the
capacitive feed.
[0086] As used herein, the singular form "a," "an," and "the"
include plural references unless the context clearly dictates
otherwise.
[0087] As used herein, the terms "can," "may," "optionally," "can
optionally," and "may optionally" are used interchangeably and are
meant to include cases in which the condition occurs as well as
cases in which the condition does not occur.
[0088] Ranges can be expressed herein as from "about" one
particular value, and/or to "about" another particular value. When
such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one
particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly,
when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the
antecedent "about," it will be understood that the particular value
forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the
endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to
the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint. It is
also understood that there are a number of values disclosed herein,
and that each value is also herein disclosed as "about" that
particular value in addition to the value itself. For example, if
the value "10" is disclosed, then "about 10" is also disclosed.
[0089] Although exemplary implementations may refer to utilizing
aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter in the context of
one or more stand-alone computer systems, the subject matter is not
so limited, but rather may be implemented in connection with any
computing environment, such as a network or distributed computing
environment. Still further, aspects of the presently disclosed
subject matter may be implemented in or across a plurality of
processing chips or devices, and storage may similarly be effected
across a plurality of devices. Such devices might include personal
computers, network servers, and handheld devices, for example.
[0090] Although the subject matter has been described in language
specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is
to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended
claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts
described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described
above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the
claims.
* * * * *